Simple yet Complex

When we get an intake at my agency, the person is asked to describe the problem that they want to work on, but they don't give too much detail. When we practicum students get the intake, this is what where we start. I've learned to look at those plain old intake forms that show up in my box as a possible trip down Alice's rabbit hole, rather than the three sheets of paper that they are.

When the form says something really vague, what I've seen so far is that these are generally the most complex and interwoven. They look a lot like that mandala on the left. There are many elements that you won't see at first, and they're all interconnected in a way so that when you leave the room, your head will be spinning. You will walk down that hall with a sense of awe that this person that you just talked to for an hour can even get out of bed.

And that's what it is. A sense of awe that I have. These people, that are reaching out for help, possibly for the first time, sometimes for the 100th time, are strong and resilient and working against so many factors that affect their lives every day. And they just keep going.

I ask my clients what they hope to gain from therapy. So now I ask myself what I want from this post. Haha, I don't know! I look at that mandala above and consider how to make sense of it. The swoops and lines and those little bits of empty space. The divorce, the anger, the sadness and then those little bits of peace and joy.

How exactly does it all work?